Strank
Strank is a feral world in the Golgenna Reach, located along the border of the Malfian sub-sector. It is the home of the sector-infamous Stenchbeasts, whose barely-human visage and beyond-nauseating smell are well-known. Interrogator Sarangaas, an associate of Inquisitor Felroth Gelt, traveled to Strank to investigate rumors of strange rites being performed in honor of the Ruinous Powers. Supposedly, the patrons of this cult are one or more of the First Families, the nobility to Strank, who are descended from the original settlers of that undesirable world. Deep upon the world, hidden within foggy swamps and protected by the stenchbeasts lies the remains of the original colonists who fell to worship of the Ruinous Powers. There, some stenchbeasts that haven't sunk into mindless bestiality lurk, as well as the altar where cultists sacrifice their fellow citizens of Strank to nameless warp-spawned horrors. This altar is surrounded by crumbling masses of stone which were never raised by human hands and are covered in pictographs both blasphemous and strange. On certain nights, the cultists dance under the full moons and call upon their masters, daemons most foul, to perform the same rites the First Families performed. The request of the First Families, it is said, was eternal life. To never fall ill, age, or die and to remain masters of Strank throughout the millennia. Their request was granted, and the immortal Stenchbeasts were born. Interrogator Sarangaas never returned from Strank. 'Stenchbeasts of Strank' "By the Throne, I swear I have never seen the like of the Stenchbeast before, or wish to again. Each was a bloated mockery of a man, of such size I could scarce see how they moved." –Report of Acolyte Kaaper Baar to Inquisitor Felroth Gelt, 007.736.M41 In the fetid wastes of Strank lives the infamous Stenchbeast, a creature so pungent in aroma it’s become a byword for anything foul and odorous in Calixis Sector. While most consider it to be nothing more than a metaphor for filth and the fuel for many a crude, lowbrow joke, the truth is horrible. Stenchbeasts have a corpulent human–like form and, if capable of standing erect, would be nearly three meters in height. Normally, they wallow on all fours in the dark waters of the swamps in which they dwell, grunting and bellowing to each other as they feed on tender water plants and small animals too slow to escape from them. Covered in rolls of fat, it’s a wonder they can move their vast bulks, but they are swifter than they appear, and a charging Stenchbeast can be a fearsome sight indeed. Their once–human faces are bloated and bestial, with pig–like eyes and heavy jowls. Their hair is lank and greasy and grows in thickets along the neck, spine, and lower abdomen. The hide of a Stenchbeast is a maze of cracks and fissures, each split showing multiple layers of rotting flesh underneath. The outer layers of skin often slough off in great sheets, only to be consumed in turn by the Stenchbeast itself. This cycle of decay and renewal results in the horrid stink that gives the Stenchbeast its name and sector–wide renown. Each creature emits an eye–watering reek capable of eventually defeating even the most advanced respirators. When attacked, a Stenchbeast usually tries to rush its attacker, attempting to bowl it over so it can trample it into the muck and mire of the swamp. While its teeth are too small to be of any use, a Stenchbeast still retains a semblance of human hands, which it uses to push a foe under the water’s surface, seeking to simultaneously pummel and drown its opponent. 'Unique Equipment' Iron Collar Investigations into the Murder Room and other such death and blood cults within the Calixis Sector have seen many servants of the Inquisition murdered. The common practice of head-taking, both as a warning and for intimidation by such cults has led several Inquisitors to require their servants to make use of rigid iron collars, similar to those included in heavy armor from Strank. These metal gorgets limit the wearer’s flexibility and impose a -10 penalty on his Dodge Tests. Any critical damage to the wearers head is reduced by 2. Head, AP 3, WT 3kg, Cost 20, Common Category:Feral Worlds Category:Calixis Sector Category:Planets Category:Golgenna Reach